


Stranger and stranger

by blackfin



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 07:54:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5531681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackfin/pseuds/blackfin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Outside the magical Easten Ringold Forest sits a little shop with wonders and trinkets. The shop owner, Mink, is having a bit of trouble as he doesn’t quite know how to handle both Clear, a mysterious man who has, for whatever reason, taken a liking to Mink and his own feelings towards the strange but pleasant, adorable man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stranger and stranger

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for pooky-star, as part of the DRAMAtical Murder Secret Santa gift exchange

It wasn’t unusual for him to get unusual folks in his shop. 

Mages with beards going all the way down to the floor, some dressed modestly in trailing robes of dark, earthy colors, others dressed outlandishly, obviously looking to stand out in bright colors that danced and weaved like ink in water. Witches, some beautiful with eyes as white as a thoroughly cleaned bone and skin as dark as the most precious of obsidian, others weathered and battered by age with wise but distant eyes and thin lips that were constantly moving with unheard whispers that could be nonsense or could be spells, it was impossible to tell which was which unless you saw or had a spell cast on you. 

Woodfolk were the most usual occupants of his store. There were the usual type: trolls with large noses that drooped and ran with excess mucus no matter how many times they rubbed it away, all different types of faes: water, flower, mud, leaf, fire, you name it, he had seen at least one of each kind there was. Then there were the more unusual, not widely seen outside of the massive wild, untamed forests: dark elves, the color of smoke and ashes with blood red eyes taking up almost half of their face and teeth so sharp and strong they could bite a bone in half with ease and who constantly gave him a start every time they appeared in his store as they blended almost perfectly into the shadows, Anthros, beasts that had learned the tongue and magic of man, elves and others possibly, a great many were easy to deal with and he mostly had the smaller creatures: mice, stouts, rabbits and hares, sometimes a fox and once even a wolf who had been a very polite sweet customer, Treefolk, beings who no one was quite sure what they were – some argued they were like humans, others said they were descendants of the Dryads so no one was quite sure. There was also the Elves from the East, strange beings with empty holes where eyes should be who spoke the dead language of Shi’il, of which he didn’t know a lick of, though he managed to communicate well enough. 

Sometimes, if the weather and celestial lining of the planets was just right, an Old Mother might show her face, looking to buy some special white silken summoning sand or some other kind of thing. There were also the menfolk – he liked dealing with the ones from the East the most as they were sturdy, fair minded people who looked for good deals but recognized that other people had to make a living as well. It was the Barons from the North he couldn’t stand – pompous know-it-alls who thought that because the grandest and most widely known Magical Electoral College was in their prized central city, Pion, that they could get whatever they wanted, regardless of the actual rules of reality. There were some strange ones among the menfolk as well but with those, it was hard to tell if they were odd just because of whom they were or if they did possess some strange ability that made them strange.

Oddness, strangeness, weirdness – it was something he dealt with on a daily basis and something he had become accustomed to ever since he had opened his shop a little over 15 years ago. He had seen a lot in those 15 years, learned to just not be startled by anything (except for dark elves, that was) and thought that there was nothing left on the green and blue earth that could surprise him.

And that was why he was so perturbed by his current state.

Standing in front of the large shop window that looked over at the vast field that led up to the Easten Ringold Forest, which was home to a great many beasts and beings, Mink grasped a warm mug in his hands and tried to look like he wasn’t waiting. Steam wafted up from the tea inside of the mug and he kept intending to lean down to blow on it so it would cool faster but every time he went to, something would move in the forest and his head would shoot up to check what it had been. The first time, it had been a simple blue jay taking off from a high branch. The second time, it had been a squirrel running from one tree to another. The third time, it had been a leaf falling. The fourth, he wasn’t even exactly sure what it was – it had looked like something running through the woods but he couldn’t be certain as to what he had seen.

Letting out a deep breath, he glanced down to his mug, looked back up at the trees before giving his head a little shake and turning around to walk back to the counter. Setting his mug down, he pushed his hand through his dark, brown hair and sighed softly.

He was acting ridiculous. There was no better word for it. Waiting at the window, almost eagerly glancing at the clock, practically counting down the seconds, he was acting in a completely stupid, unbelievable manner. There were things he needed to do – the shop needed to be cleaned, spells needed to be bottled, his new shipment of yellow coarse summoning sand needed to be filtered before he could put it up on the shelf, and there were three commissioned glyphs that he had to finish as the customer was going to be showing up sometime in the next few days and he didn’t want to keep him waiting. His to-do list was a mile long and yet, here he was, loitering, glancing at the clock, glancing out the window, waiting waiting waiting – no, not just waiting but hoping at the same time.

Hoping that the next time he glanced out the window, he’d see him emerging from the woods. It was stupid, asinine but he could not in any way admit he wasn’t doing it. He was a sensible man, after all, well aware of his own emotions and not one to disregard them. Ignore them, of course but disregard, no. Disregarding emotions was dangerous – it was like disregarding an enemy’s presence, they could end up sneaking up on you and taking you down in a blink of an eye. Not that he considered emotions to be an enemy but in his line of work, you needed to keep them in check or you could end up in quite the sticky situation.

That was the biggest problem in his life at that moment. He was having a very difficult time keeping his under control. And that could be entirely put on the head of one certain individual. The one he was waiting for, the one he glanced out the window to see if he was coming, the one he kept checking the clock to see if it was quarter past two yet because that was when he always showed up, the one that had him in an annoying tizzy.

Clear. A…well, he wasn’t entirely sure what he was. He looked to be human, and definitely wasn’t the oddest human he had ever seen. White hair, pink eyes, discolored skin around his eye and ear area on the left side of his head – he wasn’t strange looking in the slightest but he was odd. He was very, very odd.

For one, he had taken an immediate interest in him. Mink was not exactly an unfriendly man but he had heard himself being described as cold, distant, intimidating and all those words were spoken by those who liked him. The descriptive words that were used by those who don’t were not as…kind. Though, he supposed that was more his fault as he was not exactly the most approachable man. While he wasn’t unfriendly, he wasn’t exactly open and warm either. He didn’t smile often, didn’t laugh often and was a shrewd but fair businessman who spoke bluntly, honestly with no real thought given the flattery or ‘beating around the bush’. And he made no effort to change that as that was what had kept him business for so long even while other similar shops failed. He had his share of friends but most were colleagues he had known for years and who had taken a long time to warm up to him, given his demeanor. It was odd in itself for someone to take to him so quickly but Clear was just…strange.

He acted like a simpleton who cried at the drop of a hat, was what Mink would classify as a ‘goofball’ but had showed himself to be knowledge, world savvy and extraordinarily perceptive. In the several months since Mink had first met him, he had come to rely on Clear for a steady supply of rare and hard to get a hold of herbs, plants and other materials. He knew for a fact that Clear had other offers from people who could and would pay triple the weight of his store in gold for those supplies but, for whatever reason, he had remained loyal to him and didn’t sell to anyone else. Though, sell was probably the wrong word to use. Getting a payment to Clear was almost as hard as figuring out just exactly what he was. The strange man always insisted that he didn’t need payment, that he was doing it because he wanted to help Mink, that he had no use for gold, and all that kind of dribble. 

Mink, who loathed the idea of having somebody working for him and not giving them some kind of payment in return, had managed to talk him into taking some various items from his store. So far, he had picked a small bag of mild purple silken sand which was used for party illusions and was the cheapest thing he sold as the material to make the silken sand was in overabundance as well as a renewable resource, a bewitched pocket watch that knew what time it was in five different continents and never needed to be wound (it also was one of the cheapest things in his store), a potion to help with childbearing which he had explained to Mink he needed as there was a woman in some town inside of the Easten Ringold Woods that needed it but didn’t have the money to get it. The next had been a bewitched bag of candy that you could say into it what flavor you wanted and the candy would be that flavor – a small smile spread across Mink’s face as he remembered Clear’s face lighting up with joy like a child on Holienday’s; the flavor he had first asked the bag in a very polite tone for was apple and had loudly exclaimed after putting one in his mouth with a massive grin on his handsome face and his pink eyes aglow with happiness that it was the best tasting apple candy he had ever tasted. Next had been a small (hand crafted by Mink personally) wooden bear that Clear had named Omo, after the God of Stars which also took a bear-like form, then it had been another bag of bewitched candy as Clear had sheepishly told him he had very quickly run out of the first one and Mink had correctly guessed, much to Clear’s embarrassment, that he had given away the majority of it to the children in the town, and after that, it had been a medium size bag of silken white purifying sand which Clear had intended to give to a Mother who lived in the woods. For what, Mink didn’t know but that particular kind of sand was usually used for exorcisms and Mothers were the ones who performed those so he imagined it was that.

That had been the last payment he had made to Clear. Though, that hadn’t been the last time he had seen Clear. The strange man often just showed up, most times with something shiny or odd in his hand that he was practically bouncing out of his boots to show him. Mink didn’t mind it as Clear did bring him interesting objects to see and, even though he would never admit it aloud, he was pleasant company. He talked incessantly but there was a pleasantness about his voice and he always had interesting stories to tell. Mink had told, or rather advised him on many occasions to become a Bard as he would be very good at such a craft but Clear always laughed it off.

“If I became a Bard, I’d have to leave the forest and I wouldn’t be able to see you as often!” Had been what he had said the last time Mink had recommended it to him.

“I can understand not wanting to leave the forest,” Mink had responded whilst wiping down a spirit container while Clear tidied up the shelves, wiped down dust here and there as he always liked to make himself useful during their time together, “but why does not being able to see me matter?”

“Why? Why, it’s because I like seeing Mink!” Clear had replied immediately with a big smile on his face.

“Is that so?” Had been his response, half in confusion, and half in bemusement.

“It is, it is!” Clear had affirmed, nodding his head firmly and smiling brightly all the while.

“Well,” Mink had responded, “guess that is how it is, then.”

Clear had laughed before taking the spirit container he had just finished cleaning, telling him for the umpteenth time that he needed to hire a helper or someone to pitch in with the cleaning and other such work before turning and putting it on the shelf where it had belonged.

He was a strange man. Mink didn’t think he had ever met anyone as strange as him. And he, Mink himself, was becoming strange because of it. That he could say for certain – Clear was making him strange and what was even stranger was how that was affecting him. It wasn’t affecting his work, not at all but his down time? When he was alone in the shop, counting stock, cleaning materials, tools and the shop itself, filling spirit containers with liquid or vapored spells, carefully crafting glyphs and glyph paper, when there was no one but him and his own mind, that when it affected him. During that time in the silence, it in the stillness, his mind wandered to Clear – some thoughts were tame: where was he? What was he doing? Was he laughing? Crying? Others had a bit more depth to them: what was Clear? Where did he come from? What did he really want? Why did he always come to the store? Why did he always seem so happy to see him?

The man himself baffled him. Despite the numerous times they had talked, Mink knew little to nothing about him. Though, to be completely fair, Mink had not divulged much about himself either. Clear only knew where he was from, what race he was and what college he had studied at (Nors, human and The Electoral College of Yorke). Though, to be entirely honest, there wasn’t much about Mink to know. There were a few events in his past that he wasn’t particularly eager to divulge but those weren’t pertinent details to his life. Clear hadn’t revealed anything about himself. Not his birthplace, his race, or even where he currently lived. Mink knew nothing and, even though he didn’t want to admit it, even to himself, that bothered him.

Probably the strangest thing about the whole thing was how uncertain and unsure Mink was about it all. That…that wasn’t at all like him, and it unnerved him.

His tea was now cold but that wasn’t an issue. Taking the mug in his hand, he tapped the side with his pinky and whispered; “Hach” and steam immediately erupted from the liquid once again. The tea was going to taste watery now but it was better than wasting it. After all, getting tea packets, especially Mvern tea, which was the only kind he drank, was difficult so he wasn’t about to go dump out a perfectly good cup, even if it was going to taste runny.

“Ooh! That was a neat trick! Could you teach me that?” A happy voice spoke up behind him.

Jumping a bit in alarm, Mink turned around to find Clear standing in front of the door. In his hands was an old, battered umbrella that he always carried around and on his face was his usual large, carefree smile.

“I’ve told you to knock.” Mink replied with any ire and set his mug back down on the counter.

“Ah….” Clear’s voice trailed off as he looked sheepishly at the ground before drooping his shoulders and head, and meekly murmuring, “I’m sorry. I just get so excited that I don’t think about it.”

“Its fine, just try to remember for next time.”

Clear’s head immediately shot up and a glow filled it once again, “Yes, I will!”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Mink leaned against the counter and looked at Clear, “So? Do you have anything to show me?”

“Ah, no, actually. Not this time.”

Mink raised an eyebrow. That was strange. Clear always had something to show him. The only times he didn’t was when he was making a delivery.

“Is something wrong?”

Clear tilted his head, “No, why do you ask?”

Mink shook his head, “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” He glanced over at the clock to see it was almost three. “You’re late today.”

To his surprise, Clear immediately looked guilty and his gaze fell down to his shoes, “Yes, I know. I’m sorry.”

Mink waited a few seconds for an explanation but when none came, he shrugged it off before turning towards the small kitchen that was in the back, “Sit down. I’ll make you a cup of tea. I’ve got glyphs to make so help me with-”

“Mink!” Clear loudly exclaiming his name made him startle once again.

Turning around with a confused look on his face, he found Clear still standing by the door, gripping the fringes of his coat in both hands. The umbrella lay discarded on the floor beside his feet. His knuckles were almost white from clenching them into fists so hard. Clear’s face was unusually serious but there was a lacing of unease in his expression and eyes that made Mink uneasy himself. 

Crossing his arms over his chest once again, Mink tilted his head slightly before saying, “Something is wrong. What is it?”

There was most definitely something bothering Clear. Mink had seen that kind of look before when there had been poachers in the area. He had made the exact same expression as soon as he walked in the door but had also quickly informed Mink of the situation and had asked what would be the best way to handle it. Him being silent about things that bothered him like this was unlike him. If there was something wrong with the forest, Mink knew about it. If there was something wrong in the town or with the townsfolk, Mink knew about it. Clear didn’t clam up.

Clear remained silent for several seconds before turning his gaze away from Mink. He looked down at the floor, his eyes to the side and his mouth pressed into a worried line. Deeply troubled was the only way Mink could think to describe his expression.

“Clear-“

“You think I’m strange.”

It wasn’t a question but a statement, said in a soft tone as Clear’s eyes were still on the floor.

Unsure of how to respond, Mink waited but once again, Clear didn’t speak. Sensing that he needed to say something, Mink blinked slowly and asked, “Why do you say that?”

Again, he received no answer. He didn’t feel like Clear was ignoring him but more trying to figure out exactly what to say. Picking up his mug, he took a sip and waited patiently. The tea wasn’t anywhere near as watery as he thought it would be. In fact, it tasted pleasant. Looking down at the brown liquid, he wondered what on earth had brought this on. He did indeed think Clear was strange but it wasn’t like that was a bad thing. In this world, equating bad and strange as one in the same was always a mistake. Just because something or someone was a little strange or odd or weird didn’t make them bad. Sighing softly, he tilted his head and closed his eyes. That made him sound like an old woman, teaching children about the ways of the world.

“I’m sorry.” Clear suddenly said.

“For what?” Mink asked before taking another sip of his tea.

Clear was silent for a few more seconds before asking in a soft voice, “What do you think I am, Mink?”

Even more confused now, Mink tilted his head, “What do I think you are?”

“Yes.” Clear responded, looking up at him with big, quivering eyes. There was something almost frightened in his expression, like he was scared of what Mink’s answer would be.

Blinking slowly, Mink lifted his shoulders in an easy shrug and replied, “You are Clear.”

It was immediately obvious that was not the response Clear had been accepting. Practically jumping, his head shot up and his entire face was overcome with surprise, “Huh?”

“You are Clear.” Mink repeated. “Should anything else but that matter?”

Clear blinked rapidly several times, his mouth opening then closing before opening and then closing again. “Is that what I am to you?” he asked, his voice filled with awe.

Still very much confused, Mink furrowed his brow but answered, “Yes. Is there something wrong with that?”

“No!” Clear exclaimed loudly, a smile once again coming over his face, “I am very happy to know that! It makes me so very happy to know that is what I am to you!”

“Is there something significant to that?”

Clear’s smile shifted in a calm, peaceful one as he tilted his head thoughtfully and said, “It is and it is not at the same time.”

Mink sighed, “Clear, could you please attempt to make sense?”

“Ah, I’m sorry! I just…” Clear trailed off and reached up to rub the discolored side of his face, a tic that Mink knew to mean he was nervous about something. He remained quiet for a few more seconds before saying, “There was something I need to tell you but I was going to hear your response first.”

“My response?”

Clear nodded before smiling peacefully, “You said that I am just Clear to you. That is what I am.”

“Is there another response I could have had to that?” Mink asked, genuinely curious.

“Yes,” he responded, his face becoming more serious, “there were several. Many of which I was very scared of hearing you say.”

“What did you think I would say?”

Once again, silence fell over the room. Clear’s face became more pained – his lips once again pressed into a thin line, his brows became furrowed and he didn’t seem to be able to meet Mink’s eyes. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly before saying in a soft voice, “I was scared you’d call me a freak, that you would say that I’m strange, weird.”

“Why do you think I would do that? Have I given any indication that I would think of you in such a way?”

“No! No, you haven’t, Mink. I mean,” Clear began to play with his jacket, “it’s difficult to figure out exactly what you’re thinking and sometimes you seem like you don’t want me to be here and sometimes you’re very distant and cold but I know that’s just the way you present yourself but you’re actually a very kind, sweet man who wouldn’t think of anyone like that unless they were actually a very bad person but I knew you wouldn’t see me that why and I told myself over and over again that you wouldn’t but I…” he trailed off, lowering his head even farther, “I was still scared.”

“Scared that I would see you as a freak?” 

Clear nodded, “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“I made an assumption based on what I assumed your feelings to be. That was wrong of me and I apologize.”

“Like I said, there is nothing to be sorry for. What was it you wanted to tell me?” Mink asked, looking to move off this conversation. He honestly wasn’t offended or upset by that. Clear seemed like the sort of person that if another person’s feelings and thoughts weren’t spelled out exactly, his mind would run away with perceived situations.

Clear raised his eyes but looked hesitant to say anything. He started fiddling with his coat again and began to shift from one foot to the other while worrying his lower lip with his front teeth.

A little tired of the entire thing and wanting to just sit down with a cup of tea so he could begin on those glyphs, Mink sighed and said firmly, “Clear. If you have something to tell me then just do so. Enough of this dawdling, I have things that need to be done.”

“Ah, right! I’m sorry, Mink.”

“Don’t apologize and just talk, Clear.”

“Right, I’m so-“ Clear froze when he saw the look on Mink’s face then looked back down at the floor for what seemed like the umpteenth time in the very short amount of time that the two of them had been talking. Sighing, Mink realized that this wasn’t going anywhere and it was going to continue to go nowhere unless he did something.

Striding over to Clear, he took the smaller man’s chin in his hand and lifted his head up, “Clear, enough of this lollygagging. If you have something to say then just say it.”

Clear looked up at him with big, startled eyes, his mouth halfway open in surprise. Mink went to move his hand away when Clear suddenly reached up and gripped it tightly in his own. He stared at it intently, his mouth pressed into a strong, determined line and Mink could practically see him building up the courage to say whatever it was that he wanted to say. Mink stayed still and let Clear hang onto his hand while he mustered up the strength he needed. Clear’s skin was rougher than he thought it would be. Looking at his fair, white skin, he had expected it to be soft and smooth but he supposed that was bit of an idiotic thing. Clear did say he spent most of his time out in the forest, looking for herbs and plants. Most did not keep smooth skin for long with that kind of work. A great many would not call it hard work but Mink had spent a several years in his childhood doing the same thing and he knew, it was no easy task and it quickly made hands rough and tough.

“I really don’t know anything about you, Clear.” Mink said before he even realized what was coming out of his mouth.

He felt Clear start before the smaller man looked up at him. With his eyes wide and alert, Clear tilted his head a little before carefully asking, “Do you want to know more about me?”

Figuring that since he had already dove in; he might as well swim to the bottom and see what was there. Taking a step back but not removing his hand from Clear’s grip, he responded with a nod. He did want to know. Maybe out of sheer curiosity, maybe because of something a little deeper that Mink was not ready to admit to yet. Regardless of reason, he did want to know.

Clear blinked slowly before letting go of Mink’s hand, reaching up with his own and taking Mink’s face in his hands. He suddenly pushed himself, brought his face close to Mink’s and gently pressed their lips together. Jolting in surprise, Mink almost instinctively took a step back. Blinking several times before slowly relaxing, Mink breathed out through his nose, ruffling a curl on the side of Clear’s hand before closing his eyes and putting his weight into the kiss. Placing one hand on Clear’s back and the other on the back of Clear’s neck, he pulled him closer so that their chests were touching and deepened the kiss.

Sliding his lips over Clear’s, he took his bottom lip between his own and sucked gently. Unsure as to how far he should go, he kept it simple. Breathing in Clear’s clean, rich, earthy scent and relishing in the feel of his soft, silky hair beneath his fingers, he pushed his tongue into Clear’s mouth and dragged his sweet, intoxicating taste back into his own. He nipped lightly at Clear’s plump lower lip, thoroughly enjoying the little moan that earned him.

To his surprise, he wasn’t that surprised. Something in this felt...natural. As though he had been waiting for it to happen for a very long time, and now that it had, he wondered dimly why it had taken them so long to get to this point. Clear’s lips were so soft, his taste was so exquisite, Mink couldn’t get enough of either but there were still things that needed to be said. 

Breaking the kiss, he leaned back and looked down into Clear’s half-closed eyes, lids heavy with want and need. Licking his lips, he sighed softly before saying in a warm tone, “You really are an odd one but you get your point across, I’ll give you that.”

Clear swallowed, drew in a deep breath and asked in a shaky tone, “You aren’t mad?”

Taking a step back, he replied, “If I was, do you think I would have reciprocated?”

“No.” Clear responded quickly, quietly while reaching up to grab a handful of Mink’s shirt to keep him from moving away any further. He looked down at the floor for a moment before bringing his eyes back up to his, “But you haven’t said what you think yet.”

Mink sighed again before giving his head a little shake, “I think I’ve been rather foolish in this entire manner.”

“Eh?”

Pushing a hand through his hair, he shifted his shoulders and asked, “And what do you think about this, Clear? The kiss was nice but I’d like to hear, verbally, exactly what it is you want.”

“You.” Clear replied, simply, honestly, without any hesitation. “I want you.”

“In what way?” Mink asked, his face still calm, his voice still steady though, and he would never admit this, his heart jumped a little. 

“In all the ways. In every way possible.”

“And what do you want from me?”

“To give me everything, to be with me – would you do that?”

Mink blinked, “That does not sound like a unwanted or undesirable situation, and that is all I am saying as of this moment. My question for you is why? Why do you want everything from me?”

Clear blinked, lowered his eyes, tilted his head one way then the other before lifting his eyes once again and pointing to the discolored portion of his skin, “Because this doesn’t bother you.”

Mink raised an eyebrow, “Are there normally people who are bothered by your slightly discolored skin?”

Clear shook his head, “It isn’t that. It’s not that.”

“Then what is it, Clear? You’re beating around the bush again. Just say what you wish to say.”

Clear fell silent and Mink feared they would once again enter an awkward phase of him asking questions and then having to wait five plus minutes in absolute silence while Clear searched for an answer. Mink was about to change the subject to something else when Clear suddenly reached down, took his hand in a firm grip and then took a step back towards the door.

“I need to show you something.”

“What?”

“I can’t explain it to you. I can only show you.”

Sighing but admittedly intrigued as well as just wanting to find out what on earth Clear was going on about, Mink sighed and allowed to be led out of his shop. He locked the door behind him, switched the sign over to closed, even though he knew there would be no visitors, not at this time on this day, and let Clear lead him to and then into the Easten Ringold Woods.

\--

He was uncertain as to how long they walked or how deep into the forest they went but he knew for certain that he had never seen this part of the forest before and he knew it was very possible that not a great many other people had seen it either. It looked untouched by both time and man – no matter which direction he looked, there were no downed trees and on the ground there was not a trace of decaying or dead leaves. The foliage above his head was strong, vibrant and green. This forest looked entirely unaffected - as though some powerful wizard had frozen it in time and space.

He had asked Clear once where they were going but he, again, had been met with the response that he had to be shown; Clear could not accurately explain it to him. So Mink had fallen silent. Instead of pestering Clear, he focused on the forest around him. There were some plants, herbs and mushrooms he could identify but a great many of it was a mystery to him. He made a mental note to get Clear to take him back out here at some point so he could document all of the plant life.

The sun had almost set by the time they stopped. Clear had led him into a clearing where a small, wooden hut set. The most spectacular thing about it were the plethora of shiny objects strung about the front – some of them baubles, other empty jars and bottles, Mink saw what looked like wind chimes and a few charms. The house itself wasn’t that special, simple and rustic with a chimney poking half-hazardly out of the top. It wasn’t painted or had any other decorations save for the shiny stuff.

“Is this your home?” Mink asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you live alone?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Clear stopped, turned and looked back at him with a hesitant, uneasy expression. Taking in a deep breath, he let it out slowly through his nose before saying in an honest voice, “I really do love you, Mink. I do.”

Mink tilted his head before asking, “Why?”

Clear chuckled, some glow coming back to his face, “Because of that. Because you’re you. Just as I am you to you, you are you to me.”

“Now you’re just talking nonsense.”

Clear chuckled again, louder this time, “Maybe. I do often do that, don’t I?” Clear’s face became serious once again as he asked, “And you, Mink? What do you feel?”

Mink paused for a second before exhaling slowly - it was foolish and stupid to disregard emotions. Ignore them as much as possible but don’t ever disregard them because they could sneak up and attack you with no warning. That was his own rule and he did his best to follow it but he hadn’t. Not when it came to this. Not when it came to him. He had been disregarding this – throwing it away without a glance or thought, not even giving one thought to it because it had always seemed impossible to him so he hadn’t bothered to analyze it, hadn’t bothered to study it, hadn’t bothered to even think about it.

And now, look where he was. So deep in this shit that he was probably never gonna get out with his assailant right in front of him, looking at him with those pale, beautiful pink eyes, waiting for his answer. He had fallen and hadn’t even notice he had tripped.

Sighing, he placed his hands on his belt and said, “You said before that I thought you were strange. Well, that is true. You were strange but it isn’t like I dislike that about you. Its what makes you you and I wouldn’t want that to change, not for the world. And like I said before, this isn’t an unwanted or undesirable situation.”

“Should I take that as your answer?”

“Take it how you’d like to. You already know my answer.”

Clear smiled, “When it comes to wanting answers from others, you’re relentless but when it comes to giving them, you clam up fast, Mink.”

Mink snorted, “Says the person who talks an hour to get out something that could be said in one minute.”

“I have my reasons.”

“As do I. Now, what is this thing you wanted to show me?”

Clear studied him for a moment before saying, “I really do love you, Mink. I’m very happy that I met you. I am very happy to be here with you. I’m very happy that I was able to kiss you and you kissed me back. I want to stay with you. I want to always stay with you so please…please don’t leave me alone.”

Mink opened his mouth to respond to Clear’s pleas when suddenly there was a loud crack, like glass breaking. In one second, Clear’s face changed. The discolored skin on the left side had morphed into what looked like a rune or glyph branded into his flesh. Erupting from the sides of his head were four swirled horns, two on each side – white in color with dark, almost black tips. They reminded Mink of goats horns. His eyes didn’t change much but the black pupils within became little more than slits, almost like cats eyes. The edges of his jawline became strangely discolored - as though the pigment of his skin had faded. When Mink glanced down at Clear’s hand, he found the tips of his fingertips had done the same. In a single breath, Clear had gone from looking fairly normal to something Mink would expect to see in a fable book.

It took him only a moment to realize what he was looking at. He couldn’t keep his face from drooping into absolute shock.

“You’re an Ygg.” He breathed. “Your race is said to have gone extinct years ago.”

“I am the last.” Clear replied, his voice quiet and serious. “There is no else left but me.”

“And that’s why you’re out here, almost in hiding. That’s why you refused offers even when they brought in more money,” Mink said, trepidation coming over him, “if the wrong people were to find out, you’d be hunted relentlessly.”

Clear nodded before reaching up to lightly touch his horns, “For these. My people are dead but the demand for our horns still remains and there are more than enough people who would pay hefty sums to get their hands on them.”

Mink’s jaw clenched angrily. The Ygg had been a peaceful, magical race that had lived deep within the various forests spreading across the blue and green world. He didn’t know much about them – no one did as they had been hunted to extinction, or near extinction it now seemed, for their horns. The last they had been seen was over seven hundred years ago. The genocide of that race was one of the darkest stains in the memory of man and had led to a great many treaties made with the magic folk to break. There were a great many who had never forgiven man for what they had done to the Ygg. And there were a great many menfolk who looked to that time as one to never repeat – always remember, always mourn but never, ever repeat.

Clear was watching him, obviously carefully gauging his reaction. Mink let out a slow breath before he asking, “How long have you been alone?”

“A very long while.” Clear replied simply.

Mink paused for a moment before asking without hesitation, “Do you want to come live with me?”

Clear’s entire body jumped as his eyes grew wide. His bottom lip started to tremble, those big eyes became watery as he drew in a shaky breath and nodded firmly, “I do. I do want to, Mink. I really, really do.”

Mink nodded in return, “Grab the things you want then lets head back. We won’t make it back before nights fall but you know this forest well, right?”

“Yes! I can get us safely back! I promise!”

“Hurry up, then. I’ve not eaten and there are glyphs I need to attend to. And I expect you to help me with them.”

“Yes! Mink!” Clear suddenly rushed forward, threw himself into his arms and pressed a warm, salty, excited kiss onto his mouth. Catching him and just nearly avoid being wailed in the jaw by his horns, Mink set his feet on the ground, cupped his head in his hands and pushed back, sliding his lips over Clear’s soft, smooth plump lips before leaning back. He stroked his thumb over Clear’s cheek, enjoying the feel of his silky skin underneath the pad of his finger and sighed before saying, mostly to himself, “Well, I guess it’s alright to fall sometimes.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Go get your things. I’ll be waiting.”

“Mink?”

“What?”

“Thank you. I wanted to be with you, so very much and I’m so happy that I can be. I love you, Mink.” Clear’s eyes were still moist with tears and the look on his face was one of complete and utter relief. He leaned up to press one more sweet, chaste kiss against his lips before sliding out of Mink’s arms and running quickly over to his hut. Mink watched him disappear inside before giving his head a shake. He had no idea what he was getting himself into but as he had said, this wasn’t an undesirable or unwanted situation. If he was being entirely honest, this had been what he had been secretly hoping for.

He would never tell Clear that, though.

Well, maybe in time he would. After all, Clear was the type that, if you didn’t tell him straight what you felt or thought, his mind would go anywhere.


End file.
